Area businesses, civic leaders to hold business expo on SE
by Brian Shults, reporter

    The opportunity for students to network with prominent Metroplex businesses, as well as local, state and national politicians is the focus of the Mansfield Area Business Expo 2001, scheduled Tuesday, April 10, on SE Campus.

    Free for all TCC students, activities during the day include a job fair, an economic development luncheon with speaker Carole Keeton Rylander, the Texas State Comptroller, and a guest speaker series including, Jim Wright, former U.S. Speaker of the House.

    During the evening, Mansfield area restaurants will host the Taste of Mansfield, offering a variety of food services.

    The job outreach and business-to-business networking sessions will be located in the commons area 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

    “Numerous prospective employers will have booths set up, offering an array of excellent opportunities for students to talk to different business leaders and explore possible career options,” Dr. Bryan Stewart, SE Campus division chair of math and science and the expo’s coordinator, said.

    Rylander, the first woman elected Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, will address students and area business leaders at noon in the SE Ballroom on the current and future conditions of state commerce.

    During her political career, she has focused on providing incentives for innovation in business, Stewart said. She was also the first woman elected to the Texas Railroad Commission and mayor of Austin.

    In 1979 she was named by Time magazine as “One of the 50 Faces for America’s Future.”

    Rylander began her career as a public school teacher, working her way up to the Austin School Board and eventually to her current position in the state’s capital.

    The guest speaker series will follow in the C.A. Roberson Theater, 1-5 p.m.

    Wright will speak at 4 p.m. about his impressions on the current state and federal administrations, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.

    He was sworn in as Speaker of the House in ’87 and ’89 and was the House Majority Leader for 10 years prior.

    Wright was elected to 18 consecutive terms, serving a total of 34 years in Congress.

    Having returned to private life, Wright is now a faculty member and distinguished lecturer at TCU.

    The series includes Susan Huston, fashion expert, and Bill Austin, motivational speaker.

    A round table discussion will feature four academic leaders. Dr. Judith Carrier, SE president; David Harry, mayor of Mansfield; Clayton Chandler, city manager of Mansfield, and Vernon Newsom, superintendent of the Mansfield Independent School District, will serve on the panel.

    Huston currently works as the Texas Rangers baseball team’s etiquette instructor and will focus on her views of fashion and the industry’s future at 1 p.m.

    An inspirational speaker and former Chaplain at Baylor University, Austin will speak at 2 p.m.

    Officials in local public education, Carrier, Harry, Chandler and Newsom will discuss their outlook on the potential of the community’s education system at 3 p.m.

    In addition, the group will address meeting the needs of a rapidly growing and diverse city.

    Restaurants will have food available for dining in the SE Ballroom 5:30-7:30 p.m. for $5, at the Taste of Mansfield & Business After Hours.

    For more information on the business expo, call Stewart at 817-515-3316.